Next Level University

SIMPLIFY Your Focus For Maximum Productivity! (1908)

• Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

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Consistency and simplification are your allies in a hectic world! In this freestyle, Friday episode hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros talk about what it takes to grow while juggling life’s chaos. They explore how focusing on clear goals, staying consistent, and embracing struggle can lead to success. Discover why simplifying your routines and prioritizing what matters most can be game-changers for your journey. Whether you’re stuck or need encouragement, this episode will help you reset your mindset.

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NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

For more information, please check out our website at the link below. 👇

Website 💻  http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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We love connecting with you guys! Reach out on Instagram, Facebook, or via email. We’re here to support you in your personal and professional development journey.

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Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid/
Alan: https://www.instagram.com/alazaros88/

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Alan@nextleveluniverse.com

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Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-palmieri-5b7736160/
Alan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc/

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Show notes:
(3:01) Overwhelm as a sign of progress
(5:20) The mindset shift
(7:15) The Pareto principle
(10:46) The importance of consistency in routines
(13:31) Simplifying to handle chaos effectively
(15:35) At NLU, we want you to win! So, we’re giving tools and resources to ensure your success. Join our Monthly Meet-up every first Thursday of the month at 5 PM. https://a.co/d/9fPpxEt
(17:38) Celebrating small wins and staying grounded in priorities
(24:15) The truth about hard work and success
(25:55) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ Hosted by Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

Next Level University is a top-ranked daily podcast for dream chasers and self-improvement lovers. With over 2,100 episodes, we help you level up in life, love, health, and wealth one day at a time. Subscribe for real, honest, no-fluff growth every single day.

Kevin Palmieri

could I do it in a different way? Could I do 30-minute workouts at home or something like that? Yeah, but it's not the same. For me, it's not just about the time that I'm spending at the gym, it's about the time that it gives me back, like the energy. It gives me back the focus, it gives me back the fulfillment, the accomplishment, all that stuff.

Alan Lazaros

That's a really big piece of it for me for sure, I'm accomplishing more than I've ever accomplished, genuinely, sincerely focused on the urgent, important, significant things, the high-value activities podcasting, coaching, training. My average is 50 a week average. There's a lot of seeds we're planting. It's a lot of momentum, that's a lot of growth. That's a lot of improvement. That's a lot. I've even been listening to some of my clips lately that the team is making.

Kevin Palmieri

Welcome to Next Level University. I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri.

Alan Lazaros

And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus.

Kevin Palmieri

At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros

Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

We bring you a new episode every single day on topics like confidence, self-belief, self-worth, self-awareness, relationships, boundaries, consistency, habits and defining your own unique version of success.

Alan Lazaros

Self-improvement in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free.

Kevin Palmieri

Welcome to Next Level University, next Level Nation. Welcome back to another episode of Next Level University, where we help you level up your life, your love, your health and your wealth. Today, for episode number 1,908, it is Freestyle Friday we're going to hit you with a 20-minute episode today. So in this 20-minute episode we're going to freestyle about what's going on and all that happy jazz. Freestyle Friday is an episode where we don't have anything in mind. We just kind of show up and try to have an unscripted conversation about self-improvement, growth, life, love, health and wealth.

Alan Lazaros

We were just talking right before this and I said this I can't use my script.

Kevin Palmieri

No script.

Alan Lazaros

I have this whole thing written out?

Kevin Palmieri

No, you'll have to do it. What is it called when people do not ad libs actors?

Alan Lazaros

do it To be or not to be? That is the question.

Kevin Palmieri

What is it called when they do that?

Alan Lazaros

Oh, wait, wait, wait, improv Improvise.

Kevin Palmieri

Yeah, improvise, improv, that's what we're doing today. You and I were talking before this and I did an Instagram story where I said I put my camera on and I said I'm going to swear, I'm going to say a bad word, I'm going to swear just FYI. And I said today is effing crazy. Just from the moment I got up till now, it's been it's 1138. So I've been up since six, so almost six hours, and it's just been mayhem, whatsapp messages and emails, and it's just crazy.

Overwhelm as a sign of progress

Kevin Palmieri

And I am thinking to myself it's a good overwhelm, it's not a bad overwhelm, but it still feels very constricting. But I just think my relationship now with that constriction is it's like Kev it's very easy to think that the way the day is is the way the week is, and it's very easy to think that the way the day is is the way the week is, and it's very easy to think that the way the day is is the way the month has been and the way the month has been is the way the year will be. And I think we fall into the trap of almost silo, siloing ourselves into the emotions of the moment and I'm trying to do a better job, just in general, of not of not doing that. I was sending a message to a potential client today and I used to like obsess over I have to say the exact right word at the exact right time, and blah, blah, blah, blah.

Kevin Palmieri

And today I said I'm just going to say what I think, not from a place of arrogance or not from entitlement. I'm just look, if you don't want to work together, you don't want to work together. I mean, I've already given you the best possible price. I've given you all the stuff. This is my truth. If you want to do it, awesome. If not, no worries, let's party or let's not party. And then let me move on to the next thing, and I'm sure it's going.

Kevin Palmieri

I don't know I feel like I'm in a very weird time right now, where there's so many things swirling around, but all the things that are swirling around are good, and it snowed today for the first time in New Hampshire, and it's beautiful.

Alan Lazaros

There you go. The first snowfall. Also, I have hot chocolate. Nice. It also snowed here In Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, yes. So we're an hour and a half south of Kev and it snowed here as well the first snowfall.

Alan Lazaros

What are you going through? The same thing you are Usually. I would say. The one good thing there's an upside to every downside. We talk about that all the time and the one good thing about being overwhelmed.

The mindset shift

Alan Lazaros

I said this to a team member earlier because she worked an 84 hour week and she's just in it Making more money than she ever has. That's great. What's the downside? 84 hour week, okay, now, what's the upside of an 84 hour week? And I was talking to Kev about this.

Alan Lazaros

When you are, I said this to her the people who are grinding and growing toward their goals and dreams will always be the envy of the people sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. And I really do believe that if you want to reach the next level, you're going to have to crawl through the mud to get there, and the mud is feeling overwhelmed, feeling inadequate, being imperfect, not having enough time to do your exact morning routine sometimes. And then there's certain non-negotiables that need to get hit, and I was telling Kev this earlier. I have more to get done than I've ever had to get done and I said this. I said I know I'm not the most overwhelmed person in the world and I'm not the first person to have 50 items on their to-do list and to not have time to do them. However, the good thing about having 50 things on your to-do list is that, in the state of all that overwhelm assuming you can handle it and you have the mentality of how can I do this? Instead of I can't do this, because I had that moment of I can't do this, this is. And then I immediately shifted it to okay, get it out. Message Kev, you got this, you can do it. And then immediately I shifted into what are the musts, what are the things that have to get done today, to where the littlest amount of stuff will burn down.

The Pareto principle

Alan Lazaros

And I think that we don't talk about this a ton on the podcast or, if we have, it's been brief, but there's the Pareto principle of 20% of your effort produces 80% of results toward any goal, but it has to be a clear, specific goal. So the example I always give is want, love, hate. So I want to be in great shape. I love weight training. I hate dieting. The 80% for me or the 20% for me that makes 80% of the difference is dieting Now, when you're overwhelmed, if you can take that overwhelm and then focus even more on the things that matter most.

Alan Lazaros

So, for example, this podcast episode, we had considered doing it later tonight instead of today, but we won't miss the podcast. I've had to move other things. I've had to move other things around. My morning didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but we will get this done. And so if you're good at picking what matters to you most and this is why core values are so important and why clear, specific goals are so important then you'll get those done. And I'm convinced that.

Alan Lazaros

If you look at the math of that, I was watching a TED Talk yesterday and she said that the people she did this research study. I'll be brief about this, but she did this research study where she surveyed 1,000 Americans and again, this applies globally, but she just is in America and surveyed 1,000 Americans. Only 6% of them achieved their New Year's resolutions. Only 6% of them achieved their new year's resolutions 94% of them by February. Mid February had had not made any progress or like canceled the uh, not canceled, but just like drifted off track. And she said the three things that made the difference in the people who stayed on track. Number one was clear, specific goal.

Alan Lazaros

You and I talked yesterday about how you need an exact number. Kev was like I need to know. I can't just do all I can with all I have. Like you, I need to know an exact number. That. That.

Alan Lazaros

And then number two was they know their exact 10 out of 10 is what she calls. They don't run around doing ones and twos. They they focus on the 10 out of 10s what she calls they don't run around doing ones and twos. They focus on the 10 out of 10. So, for example, if you want to build muscle, the 10 out of 10 is weight training. It just is. You can still run, you can still do cardio, you can still warm up and you can still sleep well, but the 10 out of 10 is weight training for specifically building muscle. If your goal is to do a marathon, the 10 out of 10 is not weight training. Don't weight train. Certainly don't weight train at the expense of running.

Alan Lazaros

And so one of the reasons why I think I am annoyed with myself is because I try to do too many things well and it gives me too many 10s out of 10s. And that's what the problem is with holistic is I'm doing a 5k over the summer, I've got. I want to be a well-rounded athlete, I want to be strong and I want to be good cardio and and, and, and, and, and. We talked about the power of the end. The problem is is that when you have 10 goals, now you have 10 times three. You have 30 priorities that need to get done basically every day if you want to ignite the compound effect, and that's just a way to hate yourself basically. So you got to be really careful. I have to be really careful, but the other piece of it, too is, if you really want to reach your potential, you're going to have to redline every now and then.

Kevin Palmieri

Yeah, it's hard. The whole thing is. The whole thing is a challenge, because in my mind I'm thinking because I told you this like I've been very consistent with mobility. I do mobility. I don't know, out of the last 30 days I've probably done it 28, 27, whatever that percentage is. But it's not like I'm doing different stuff every day and it's not like I'm doing any more than I have to. I don't accidentally do more mobility than I'm supposed to ever. I'm literally doing it to check the box and I'm trying to improve as I go. But improving as I go for me is not investing more time in it. I'm gonna do 20 minutes. That's what I'm doing in this season of life.

Kevin Palmieri

The gym is essentially 45 minutes of weight training. I listen to a book on the way there, I listen to a book on the way back, so that that's cool. Like, let me. Let me make sure that I'm learning in the way and weight training is super grounding for me and it helps with self worth and self belief and stress management and all that stuff. Start the day with consistency. So, but like I'm not exactly, I'm pretty much doing the same thing. Shoulder day is the same thing, chest day is the same thing. Back day is essentially the same thing.

Kevin Palmieri

Do I occasionally switch up exercises? Yeah, but it's very much. These are the five things. There's no buffet. There's really no buffet anywhere in my life right now. It's these are the five things. You're going to eat the same thing hypothetically in this Food same thing. I'm essentially eating the same thing every week and I'm not saying this is what you should be doing.

Kevin Palmieri

I'm somebody who I don't require a ton of variety, so for me this works really well and it helps me focus on. I know exactly what I'm doing. There's no. Well, what am I going to do when I go to the gym? Let really plan out my workout. I'd rather just go and do the same shit because I'm getting results. If I wasn't getting results, that would be a different story. Would I get better results if I went in a different direction? Yes, but fitness is not the 10 out of 10. Fitness is the 8 out of 10, and the 8 is very important. But all of the all of the behaviors under the eight are not going to be more than a ten. They're going to be eight and less. It's kind of how I'm looking at it now.

Alan Lazaros

We yin and yang order and chaos. If you've ever seen the yin and yang symbol, it's supposed to represent masculine and feminine, order and chaos, and what Kevin was just describing there is. You have a lot of order in certain things. You've simplified the fundamentals so much that you can handle the chaos of having 64 podcasters you work with, because, as of yesterday Kev told me, we work directly slash indirectly with 64 podcasters, whether it be coaching or group coaching or producing their show About to be 65 here in the next day or so Shout out to Jenna.

Alan Lazaros

Well, here's the deal. How do we handle that? How do we do that? The way we do that is we simplify everything else. I asked Amelia. I said how do? Because we woke up this morning and we said I can't stand Q4. It's so much. It's so much. I said how did we do this last year? And she said last year we weren't nearly as focused on growing the businesses. That's so true.

Alan Lazaros

And so if you're out there watching or listening, you are not the only one overwhelmed. You're not Everyone I coach is going. I have one person I'm thinking of, I would say one in every three sessions he comes struggle, bus, and then the next two after that are like rock and rolling, ramping up I got this, I can do it. And then the third one is oh no, I don't know, I don't know if I could do this, and then it's like back to the, we redesign, and then we go back to the drawing board, it's, and so I just hopefully for everyone, you are not the only person disappointed in how little you actually accomplish. In a day, I'm accomplishing more than I've ever accomplished, genuinely, sincerely focused on the urgent, important, significant things, the high value activities podcasting, coaching, training I'm my average is 50 a week Average. There's a lot of seeds we're planting. It's a lot of momentum, that's a lot of growth, that's a lot of improvement. That's a lot. I've even been listening to some of my clips lately that the team is making and I had a moment and this only happens every once in a while, but when it does it's really cool and it was a clip where I was very passionate about the end and I was like, wow, that was good, that was really strong oratory, that was a really strong speaker. That's a grown ass man right there saying the truth about this. And those moments, you got to look for them because you are growing and usually you're growing in tandem with struggle, and so anyone who does believe and I'm just going to say this because I have to have courage to say this Anyone who does believe that you can achieve growth without struggle, it's inaccurate, I promise.

At NLU, we want you to win! So, we're giving tools and resources to ensure your success. Join our Monthly Meet-up every first Thursday of the month at 5 PM.

Alan Lazaros

I coach 26 individuals. They are absolutely killing it, a couple of them in particular. It's unreal, but every one of them behind the scenes is struggling and fighting for that next rep, struggling and fighting for that next iteration. They need to redesign, they need to simplify, they need to figure it out, they need to go back to the drawing board. Nlu listener, what is happening? I just wanted to jump in here and let you know if you want to get to the next level faster. We have a free virtual monthly meetup at the first Thursday of every month. You can connect with like-minded people and become a bigger part of this amazing global community. The link to register will be in the show notes. Global community. The link to register will be in the show notes.

Alan Lazaros

I woke up this morning feeling terrible because I worked too late, didn't get a good enough night's sleep, and then I looked at my day and I was like I'm screwed. I have to can one with Kev, I have to move some stuff. And then I talked to Amelia. I said we need to figure something out. But then I went over to the whiteboard. There's 27 days left in the year and I've I updated every single day, update how many days in a row of exercise, and I got to write 1,010. I actually was so exhausted I wrote 1,0,1,1,0 on accident. But I go to the whiteboard every day and I update the number. I've exercised every day for 1,010 days. And here I am still telling everyone else I am struggling too. I'm not struggling with consistent exercise. I'm doing amazing at consistent exercise. I'm doing 10 out of 10, world-class at consistent exercise. Am I doing world-class at programming my specific weight training workouts and making sure I weight train exactly five times a week? No, am I getting three-hour workouts in?

Kevin Palmieri

No.

Alan Lazaros

Am I running marathons on the side?

Kevin Palmieri

No.

Celebrating small wins and staying grounded in priorities

Alan Lazaros

I'm really good 10 out of 10, unbelievably doing a good job at exercising consistently, and I'm doing a really good job at exercising consistently and I'm doing a really good job at growing an lu, and I'm doing a really good job at probably nothing else, but those are the two most important things and I'm doing a really good job at podcasting, coaching and training, and so priorities are important good well, I was gonna say it's important to give yourself credit for what you're doing.

Kevin Palmieri

well, I think you're always going to be doing fewer things well than not. Well, you just think of, like, the breakdown of it. You're probably not going to be doing more things better than you're probably not going to be excited more excited about the things you're doing. No, I don't want to say that. I think you can.

Alan Lazaros

How many things are you doing well right now? Now keep in mind everyone before he answers. This is the most productive, effective, capable version of Kevin that he's ever been. And he's probably doing well at like three things.

Kevin Palmieri

Man been and he's probably doing well at like three things. Man, I feel like I'm doing really well with nlps. Like I am just living in whatsapp. I do not miss whatsapp seven days a week. I batch whatsapp. I do not miss ever, no matter what. So that that all client stuff making sure clients are taken care of, being proactive with that, talking to the team, ron and I talk. Ron's the director of Next Level Podcast Solutions. We talk every day in WhatsApp. We have conversations all the time. We're always talking. I'm always talking to Ron. He must be so sick of me, so that's something. Fitness, I'm doing really well. I think I'm probably doing the best I've done in fitness since that changes your life, man.

Alan Lazaros

You are so unhappy when you're not doing 100. I've observed you over the years. It's when you're winning in fitness. You feel so much better about kevin well.

Kevin Palmieri

I think that's why, to me, it's like could I do? Could I do it in a different way? Could I do 30 minute workouts at home or something like that? Yeah, but I don't. It's not the. Could I do it in a different way? Could I do 30-minute workouts at home or something like that? Yeah, but it's not the same. For me, it's not just about the time that I'm spending at the gym, it's about the time that it gives me back, like the energy, it gives me back the focus, it gives me back the fulfillment, the accomplishment, all that stuff. That's a really big piece of it. For me, for sure, my relationship has been great piece of it. For me, for sure, my relationship has been great. Tyra and I have been wonderful. We haven't been doing almost any dates, though I could not tell you. Though. I mean, we went away, we went away, we went to family for thanksgiving, so that was nice, but I could not tell you the last time tyra and I went out to dinner. I, I have no idea, I could not tell you.

Alan Lazaros

I'm not sure what do we say about dream chasing with this? Because one thing that I want to make very clear I don't want this to be negative. I don't want our show to be negative. I just want it to be honest, and it's so different than I had someone. I've been asking a lot about feedback lately from the team and different clients about the show, and I have clients that listen every single day. They've listened every shout out to you guys. I mean you listen every single day. They've listened every shout out to you guys. I mean you listen every single day. They track it.

Alan Lazaros

And one of the things that was said I mentioned on yesterday's episode, which was it's a very, it's very grounded self-improvement, and I said what do you mean by grounded? And she said it's. It's not. We're not just talking about how dream big and do a vision board Vision board's great. We're talking about what it really takes. I think that's what it comes down to. Are we just talking about what it actually takes? I can't tell you how many interviews. I watched an interview recently with Will Smith and Jay Shetty and I regret watching it. It's nothing against either of them.

Kevin Palmieri

I don't like either of them, so it is for me, you do you them.

Alan Lazaros

I don't like either of them, so it is okay for me. The point is, is I just they're not being super honest about what it actually took. They're not being purposely dishonest either, necessarily, and will did talk a little bit about like you got to be disciplined, but that was it. After that, they started talking about manifestation and how you, you got to believe in it in order to achieve it, and they started talking about some different books that they like, that I think are of value, but very impractical. They're very impractical books. All the books they're talking about Trust me, I've read them, I get it about. Trust me, I've read them, I get it. You and I are are doing something that I think is very unique and it seems, for anyone out there watching or listening, you know there's something different. This is this is about what it really takes, because everyone's sitting there going well, why wouldn't you go to dinner? Why can't you go to dinner with your wife?

Kevin Palmieri

no, no, I can, but we're trying to build a business it's not the season exactly, and taryn's been grinding too, and some she works later than I do. Some nights she gets home at like eight or nine at night. What are we gonna? We're not gonna go to dinner at nine o'clock at night.

Alan Lazaros

I'm already in bed what would you say to the version of cav way back that would, that would look at this life and think it's not wonderful because our life is so much better than it used to be it's, but I remembered.

Kevin Palmieri

Yeah, it's hard to explain because my day-to-day is not. I do not have the freedoms that I once did to mess around and screw off. I don't have the the fun frolicky, just just decide on a whim that I'm going to go do something that really doesn't exist. I told Taryn the other day she was getting ready to leave for something and I said, hey, babe, just FYI, it's almost 3.45,. I know you've got to go. And she said it's almost 3.45? And I said yeah, and I said, babe, one of the downsides of my schedule is I'm obsessed with time. Yeah, my schedule is I'm obsessed with time. Yeah, I know, and again, this is privileged. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I always know what time it is speaking of, which we have two minutes I know, yeah, trust me.

Kevin Palmieri

That's why I interrupted you when you were, when you were asking I would say this if the dream that you're chasing really is the priority, it essentially puts everything else into perspective and helps you dictate the overall importance of it compared to the dream. That is the best way to put it. If Taryn came to me tomorrow and said hey, I don't feel like we've been going on enough dates, Can we have a date day? Yes, I'll find a way to make that happen. I'll find a way to make that happen. But I also know she's going through her own thing with the amount that she's been working and she's probably not thinking about it either. She's she's going through her own journey of of grind right now. So I think it just helps you understand that there is one main priority and then everything else is a tetris game of. Is the downside of me letting go of this priority worth the potential momentum I'm going to lose? Slash the potential joy, pleasure, maybe fulfillment I'm going to get from the activity that it's?

The truth about hard work and success

Kevin Palmieri

I know it's only two hours to go to the concert. I know, yeah, it's only two hours, but for those two hours you're not focused on the, on the dream. Most likely, that's up to you. That's totally that's totally up to you. I want to do a photo shoot next year. I just don't think it's time. I want to diet down and I want to do a photo shoot. I want to have a goal. I want to have a date goal Kev, you're going to look this way by this date. I just don't think it's time, because I can't prioritize that higher than I'm prioritizing the other stuff. It just doesn't. It's not time for that yet yeah, awesome conversation.

Alan Lazaros

And we kept it very real and grounded. And for anyone out there that is grinding and and in a chapter where they need to stay focused and they feel overwhelmed, you're not alone, trust me. And the very last thing, the reason why I mentioned the will smith j shetty interview is because I only watched a little bit of it, but it was enough to go. Will is one of the most successful movie stars on planet Earth and he made it sound easy in the interview and I just think that's a disservice. It's not true. The dude used to say back in the day have you seen interviews where he's like the other guy's eating and I'm working.

Kevin Palmieri

The other guy's having fun and I'm working.

Alan Lazaros

The other guy and now he's in a stage where he already achieved. You know what he achieved and he's talking very differently and I get it. It's just don't forget what it really takes. That's my for myself, for Kev, for everyone listening or watching like don't forget what it really takes. Everything you want in this life that's of value.

Outro

Kevin Palmieri

you're going to have to earn it every day 100% and if you want to earn it with us every single day, we do an episode every single day. For that reason, make sure you are subscribed, on whatever platform you are watching or listening to us on. As always, we love you, we appreciate you, grateful for each and every one of you, and at NLU, we don't have family. We will talk to you all tomorrow.

Alan Lazaros

Talk to you soon.

Kevin Palmieri

Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. We love connecting with the Next.

Alan Lazaros

Level family. We mean it when we say family. If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. Everything you need to get a hold of us is in the show notes.

Kevin Palmieri

Thank, you again and we will talk to you tomorrow.

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Alan Lazaros

Host
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Kevin Palmieri

Host